A Different Kind Of Destiny - J&L
by charlhooliganx
Summary: (EastEnders) Joey&Lauren- When mistakes come back to haunt you, there's only one way out - or so it seems... Multi-chapter fanfic.
1. Other Ways

_**When mistakes come back to haunt you, there's only one way out - or so it seems...**_

_**A Different Kind Of Destiny**_

_ Other Ways_

-xJ&Lx-

If someone a couple months back had told me I was to full in love with my cousin, I'd tell them that was bullshit. But little did I know that was exactly my destiny...

It all started with that drunken kiss, yes, _drunken_ kiss, on that fateful night of November. The day after, him telling him he wanted to be with me, and we could make it through. Me not believing him, but here we were today.

Obviously, it hadn't been drama free for us; I mean, when was it in the Branning family? With Derek dieing on Christmas Day, Dot catching us on her sofa and quite frankly being made the family embarrassments at The Vic, it wasn't exactly the smoothest of rides. Thankfully for us, alot of people had been okay with the whole idea, seeing as we were both happy, and that was all that mattered. And to be honest, that was true.

Of course there were people who couldn't get their heads around us, there always would be, though it didn't effect me anymore. All that mattered was me and Joey, not all the family supported us but those who did we were thankful for. Because without their support, I'm not entirely sure we'd still be in the position we are...

We were sitting down, curled up in each others arms, on the sofa whilst we ignored the rest of the world. We loved to do this; us being the only ones that matter at this time and place. No worrying about the recent dramas, just me and Joey. He was playing with my hair, staring off into space whilst my nails scraped through the short hairs at the back of his neck in a comforting way.

Recently, we just seemed to warm to one another. If I was worrying about something or someone, I could always go to him and he would always tell me the words I wanted to hear, _It will be okay. _Even though I knew that he didn't know exactly what the future held, nobody did, he could always manage to convince me everything would come out the other side. I just hoped to God he was right.

I was snapped out of my adoring thoughts of him when he burst my balloon, if you catch my drift...

"Lauren, Lauren!" he whispered, smirking his signature smirk as he watched me look up at him. I smiled up at him, the things he did to me were always out of my control, he had to be the only person I didn't have to put up my guard around. He was perfect. "What's on your mind, babe?" he asked, his fingers still intertwined with my hair.

I bit my lip as I looked up at him, a smouldering look in his eyes as they darkened, "Not much," I replied, tracing my fingers over the buttons of his work shirt. I honestly had no idea why he wasn't out of it right in this second. _You sound desperate_.

He gently brought one of his hands back to my face and cupped it, before using the backs of his fingers to tuck a loose strand of my hair behind my ear and pressing a quick lingering kiss to my lips. As he brought his head back, our eyes locked as they always did, him finally managing to speak. "Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?" he asked, bringing his hand down to trail it's way up my leg. It sent shivers all the way up my spine.

I nodded my head and bit my lip again, slowly unbuttoning the top of his shirt with a skillful single hand. "You have," I whispered, my voice slightly hoarse from the way he was making me feel. He smiled at my tone before untucking my t-shirt from my jeans and unbuttoning the first button. I looked up at him, desire and desperation clear as the day in his eyes. _Not the only one then_.

I exhaled a breath before he spoke again, his hazel orbs sinking right into mine. "But you know what the most beautiful thing about you is?" he questioned, a smidgen of smug now in his eyes, clearly impressed how he was making me react. He slowly started to unzip the top of my jeans as I shook my head, my eyes still boring into his. "It's the look in your eyes, those beautiful dark eyes..." he continued, trailing off. My heart began to thump ferociously beneath me and my breathing got shorter and hotter, a sign he caught up on.

"Please, Joey-" I whimpered, the need for him increasing by the second. My hands starting to speed up, making quick work of unbuttoning his shirt. He looked up at me again, his eyes darker than I'd ever seen them before.

He placed both his thumbs in the sides of my hips inside my jeans, tracing gentle circles, before pulling me against him a little rougher this time, his hard erection apparent on my leg. A soft moan escaped my lips. "That look, when you're so impatient, so hot..." he added, his tone slightly hoarse like mine at this stage. I scraped my nails down his chest earning a groan emerging his throat. I whimpered again in response, and that seemed to be enough for him to push his need over the edge.

Placing his hands on my bum, he lifted me up, me wrapping my legs around his hips and crushing my lips onto his. He slammed my back into a the wall in the hallway as his tongue slid into my mouth, both of us fighting for control. Carrying me quickly upstairs, we fell onto his bed and I pushed his shirt off his shoulders, throwing it to the floor as I took in his chiselled chest. He lifted my shirt over my head, repeating my action, and slowly slid my jeans down my waist as I did the same to him.

"So. Fucking. Sexy." he groaned, pressing a kiss to my neck after each word. I gripped the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down as I took his length in my hand, him groaning again in pleasure. He slid the straps of my bra down my shoulders and pushing down my knickers, kicking them out of his bed in speed. "Baby girl..." he murmured, tracing his fingers over my stomach.

"Joe-" I gasped, needing and wanting more. He looked up at me, desperation in his orbs, as a serious expression was tipped over his face.

"I want you to answer this question very carefully," he started, his hands finding their way around my hips, creeping up and down. I nodded, really not in the mood for his teasing, "Do you want me to make love to you or fuck you hard, you beautiful drama queen?"

"I want you to fuck me hard, Joey." I replied, within seconds him sinking into me and thrusting hard. I moaned as he started to speed up, after a few minutes of this me screaming his name.

"Jo-JOSEPH BRANNING! GOD!" I screamed, this being enough to send him over the edge, him groaning loudly and burying my head in his chest, trying to calm his breathing. We lay there panting for a second as he rolled his way off me.

He leant on his side to look at me, a delicious look in his eyes, "Now do you believe that your beautiful?"

-xJ&Lx-

We lay in a tangled mess, lapsed into a comfortable silence. I propped myself up to lean my chin on his defined chest and looked up at him, a smile attacking my face.

"Hey," I whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the bottom of his jaw, which I must admit thought looked very hot rocking the whole slight stubble look. He grinned, glancing down at me, pure love in his eyes.

Wrapping a possessive arm around me, he curled me even closer to him, if that was possible. "Hey yourself," he murmured, barely audible, his tone making my heart explode. He could be so adorable at times. "What were you thinking about earlier?" he questioned quietly, obviously figuring there was something on my mind.

I shrugged, wondering how this man could be so perfect. "You," I blurted out suddenly, without thinking. I looked away from him, chucking nervously, a signature smirk covering his lips.

"Stalker," he mumbled, pressing wet kisses to my forehead, his hands gripping my waist gently. "Round two?"

-xJ&Lx-

"Joey! JOEEEY!"

I groaned, rolling over as I heard Alice's shouts of her brother's name. Not sure whether Joey was hearing her, since he could probably sleep his way through the Earth exploding, I tapped his shoulder and shook his shoulder a few times before his hazel eyes fluttered open. "S'up babe?" he mumbled into his pillow, his face turning side-on to look at me.

I pointed to the door, another shout coming from Alice. "JOEY! GET UP!"

A long, muffled sigh escaped his lips as he climbed out the bed, to me still looking half asleep. I watched as he threw on one of his shirts, some clean boxers and some jeans, before jogging downstairs and confronting his sister. Deciding to join him, I threw one of his t-shirts, which were massive compared to my tiny frame, on over my knickers and followed him.

Rubbing his head, he looked at his sister in confusion. "What?" he muttered, clearly grumpy about being woken up, by his sister of all people. Alice lead him into the living room, me following, as she gestured to the mess on the coffee table. "Still don't understand, sis," he continued, me stifling a smirk at his reply.

"Look!" she squealed, rolling her eyes at his furrowed-eyebrow response. "Like, did Mum not teach you to tidy up? Because I'm pretty sure she did," she stated in irritation, Joey raising an eyebrow and sneaking a glance at me, whilst I caught this as a chance to wind him up.

"Better get tidyin' then, Joseph. What would Mama Joey say?" I teased, prodding his shoulder as he rolled his eyes at me, mimicing his sisters action. Alice raised her eyebrows and nodded in agreement, placing her hands on her hips.

"Lauren's right, Joe. She wouldn't be impressed, would she?" she giggled, before leaning up and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you later, you two. Joey, make sure this is clean when I get home," she started, walking to the door and swinging it open before turning round. "Oh, and make sure the house doesn't smell of sex..." she finished, laughing and walking out, me turning round to see a scowl glued onto Joey's face, me smirking.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Cheer up, Mr. Grumpy Pants. I'll help you tidy up, though, we may just be making more mess than we had in the first place..." I whispered, trailing my fingers up and down his chest, his scowl disappearing and turning into a sexy grin.

-xJ&Lx-

A few hours later, after we'd christened No.23.'s sofa, we were walking up the café counter, I rolled my eyes as the server turned round and turned out to be Lucy. _Great_.

I let out a sigh, Joey's grip around my waist tightening, me looking up at him and smiling reassuringly to let him know I was okay. "Two coffees please, we won't bother with breakfast. We prefer service with a smile," I muttered, forcing myself not to make eye contact with the beast infront of us. I felt Joey tense behind me, as I remembered his Dad had said those last words when Joey first came to Walford. "Sorry," I whispered gently, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"It's okay," he murmured, before locking a devilish glare with Lucy. "Better hurry up then," he muttered to her, before looking away and shuffling uncomfortably.

"You're both disgusting, you both deserve each other," she spat in response, going back to making the coffees. I raised my eyebrows at her, giving her a '_really?_' expression. "I mean, Joey, look at her, she's-"

"Beautiful... gorgeous... smart... creative... talented... sexy..." he interrupted, punctuating each word with a kiss to my forehead, me giggling in response, an eye roll being Lucy's only reply.

"No, Joey. She's a drunk." she snapped in sideways, attempting a terrifying glare but failing miserably. "Whereas _you,_" she muttered, pointing to him, Joey shuddering in disgrace. "You're just looking for any little bit of skirt. Any sex, you'll take it. Just a player, nothing more; ooh, ain't Lauren so lucky?" she continued, aiming to put as much venom into her words as possible. "But you're both so blind you can't actually see what each other really are."

"You don't know me," I murmured suddenly, just about hitting my deadly boiling point, Joey gently squeezing my hand and calming me down instantly. "I was the best friend you were gonna get, and what did you do? You threw it all away."

"Seems like I made the right choice," Lucy replied, handing us our coffees and turning her back on us. I glanced at Joey, giving him a small wink before bringing the cup to my lips, tipping some of the warm liquid into my mouth, then starting to fake choking.

"Eww, this is disgusting, Joe!" I squealed, wiping my mouth. "Guess it's got to go with the rest of the trash..." I said, before reaching up and tipping the coffee cup over, only for it to spill all over Lucy's head, her shrieks piercing through the café. "Oops,"

I giggled, hearing Joey's gorgeous laugh next to me, curling me into him by wrapping his arms tighter around my waist. "Good job, babe. Good job," he smirked, grabbing my hand and quickly leading us outside.

Things were great for us now. But I had a feeling they were about to change any time soon...

-xJ&Lx-

R&R x

Sorry for not updating 'Only When You're Lonely' but the next chapter will be posted soon. This is the story I use to stop feeling depressed after J/L scenes on real EE, so it'll be a little happier ;). Tell me what you think!


	2. Just Another Distraction

_**When mistakes come back to haunt you, there's only one way out - or so it seems...**_

_**A Different Kind Of Destiny**_

_Just Another Distraction_

-xJ&Lx-

It was quite early the next morning, well, for _me_ anyway, as Joey had already left for work and I had the house to myself. Normally, I'd try and get some drawing done, add some finishing touches to my current art masterpiece, but today I felt the unexpected urge to sort that one somebody out... The one who'd made desperate attempts to get Joey back. The one who would rather risk her best friends health than let her be happy, just because of jealousy. But most of all, she'd made their life an absolute misery.

Lucy 'Needs-her-arse-kicking' Beale. Of course, we'd fallen out a lot in the past, every pair of friends had, but we'd have never let the others life be on the verge of cliffhanger. She was a bitch. My Mum had begged me to give her a second chance, and I had. I'd tried my best. _She_ was the one who decided to throw the whole 'friendship' thing away; not me...

-xJ&Lx-

"Hey, baby," Joey's voice practically purred through the phone, the sound comforting me immediately; _typical_. I smiled even though I knew he couldn't see me, it was the weirdest thing how much we impacted each other.

"Hello, you. Missing me already?" I replied gently, holding the phone to my ear in my left hand and adding a few details to my drawing of him with my right hand, the sound of his voice had actually helped me picture him a little more in my head.

I heard his laugh down the phone before he composed himself. "I always miss you, baby," he whispered, a grin covering my face as the tone of his voice made my heart melt. "I wanted to check you were okay, and to tell you some news..."

"Go on," I muttered quickly, hearing his laughing down the phone once again as I huffed impatiently.

"Well, there's good news and bad news," he started, me nodding; _HE. CAN'T. SEE. YOU. STOP IT. _"The bad news is I have work until late tonight," he mumbled - he was obviously a little pissed off at this news himself since he'd been working late nights for the past week and was exhausted when he got home. "But the good news is I've got time before I go back-"

"When will you be back?" I butted in quickly, gathering a few of my pens and pencils up into a small pile. I heard him breathe deeply before replying,

"Half an hour at the latest, I'll see you later, baby. I love you." he whispered, the skeletal hand creeping up my back sending shivers through my spine. Why was he so perfect?

"I love you more, but you already knew that didn't you?" I replied quietly, my voice no louder than his. The line went quiet for a few minutes before he ended the call, me sighing and going back to my drawing...

-xJ&Lx-

Half an hour later, as he promised, I heard a key turn in the door and I immediately knew who it was. Rushing into the hall, I wrapped my arms around his neck and crushed my lips onto his, him responding immediately before we pulled away.

He smirked at me, snaking his arms round my waist and pulling me flush against him. "Somebody's impatient," he murmured, his hot breath vibrating against my lips. I looked up and smiled, biting down on my lip, something I knew always turned him on as a groan emerged his throat.

"Not the only one," I whispered, trailing my fingers up and down his chest as he lifted me up over his shoulder and carried me upstairs, me shrieking at the sudden movement. He laughed his infectious laugh as I giggled, these being the only sounds being heard in the entire house...

-xJ&Lx-

Not long after, Joey had left since Sharon had needed him in earlier, and I found this the perfect opportunity to catch up with Whitney.

Whitney had to be one of the best friends I'd ever had; she'd always been there for me, always had my back. Whenever I couldn't go to Joey I could always go to her, she was amazing. I hoped to make it all up to her one day.

Grabbing my phone of the coffee table and scrolling through the contacts until I found Whitney's name, I texted her,

_Hey Whit. Fancy doing something later_

_today? Joey's out all night so gives_

_us some time together. ;) L x_

I waited for a few seconds, tapping my fingers gently on the table in impatience, though I knew she would reply almost instantly. And she did.

_Lo! Haven't hung out much lately_

_have we? Glad to see you have_

_removed yourself from Joey's _

_arms for once, haha ;)xx Give_

_me half hour, W x_

I smiled gratefully. Finally, I could get a night out with my bestfriend, hopefully without being interrupted by Lucy 'Needs-her-arse-kicking' Beale. We hadn't been on many nights out since Lucy had bad-mouthed me and Joey's relationship, but I was thankful when Whitney saw the bitch she really is. Anytime she'd make a venomous about me or Joey, Whitney would always stand up for us.

After applying a little more make-up and laying out a dress on our bed, well, _Joey's_ bed, I texted Whitney again.

_Is R&R okay? I know there_

_are a few bad memories_

_from nights out there_

_but it would be nice to_

_go back! L xx_

Now, I know what you're thinking. _Yes_, there is a double meaning of this. And _no_, I did _not_ just make excuses with Whitney so I can go and see Joey. Nope.

My phone bleeped again and I giggled at her reply; she knew me so well.

_Any excuse to get Joey_

_fucking you in the toilets,_

_eh? ;). Course it's fine, _

_don't ditch me too often_

_though, might get Tyler_

_to come along. W xx_

Pulling on a dark blue dress, which curved around my figure perfectly and lay just above my knees, I straightened my hair and slipped on some heels, sliding on my leather jacket over the top. If Joey thought he was the only one who could play dirty, he was very much mistaken. Either way, tonight would be a night to remember...

-xJ&Lx-

"Whittt!" I squealed, throwing my arms around my best friend and squeezing her tightly, being careful not to ruin either of our outfits. As I pulled away, I smiled as she took in my appearance.

She raised her eyebrow before giggling. "You look gorgeous, Lo. I think someone else will agree," she commented, me looking away and grinning shyly; I'd never gotten used to all these compliments. And I can't say I didn't appreciate them.

"So's Tyler coming?" I questioned, scanning around before gazing back at Whitney, a somewhat worried look crossing her face. I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong, girl?" I asked, concerned, she'd never been like this about Tyler before. She shrugged, managing a, I can't help but thinking, forged smile. "You know you can tell me anything though, yeah?" I reassured her, her nodding, although I wasn't convinced, in response before linking my arm in hers.

"Why are we just standing here, let's go have some fun, eh?" she giggled, dragging me into R&R as the sudden roar of the music deafened us. The room was pretty dark, though I could tell from where we were standing that it was packed. _Great_...

-xJ&Lx-

Half an hour later, a few of the drunken partiers had filed out, me and Whitney giggling and shrieking like naughty school girls as we swayed around on the dance floor. Joey hadn't noticed us yet, being way too busy with the building queue at the bar. I stopped and looked over at him, a little guiltiness washing over me as I took in his exhaustion. I turned to Whitney. "I'm gonna go and talk to Joe, I'm sure Tyler will be here soon," I murmured, my voice only just audible over the music.

Making my way over to the bar, I ignored the queue stood before him and smiled. His eyes widened as his darkened hazel orbs swept up and down my body possessively. _Hard work pays off then, eh? _"Lauren-" he managed to choke out, whisking around from behind the bar and asking someone to cover. Wrapping his arms round my waist, he lead me into the R&R office, kicking the door shut and grinning at me as I bit down on my lip.

"Like what you see?" I whispered, kicking off one of my heels and trailing my foot up his leg, a definite bulge appearing against my hip. I smirked. "I think I know your answer..."

He nodded, before crushing his lips onto mine and undressing us both at speed. He'd practically ripped off my underwear, me having to bite hard on my lip to stop myself from screaming his name.

Well, it's not like anyone would've stuck around to hear us have sex, would they?...

-xJ&Lx-

Stumbling outside a couple hours later, and no, _not_ because I was drunk, I'd been on coke and lemonade all night, but it was fair to say me and Joey were both exhausted by the end of his shift. When we reached No.23, the door opened without us knocking before Alice appeared at the door, her arms crossed over her chest. "Are you drunk?" she asked simply, opening the door fully allowing us to step in.

I shook my head, me and Joey making our way upstairs and him practically out cold to the world as soon as his head hit the pillow. I smiled.

When did life become so perfect?

xJ&Lx-

**R&R.**

**These first few chapters are fillers to show the average lifestyle of them both before the drama starts ;). Tell me what you think! x **

**Another chapter today, I'm in relatively good spirits cuz BRUNO MARS IS PERFORMING, YAY! 'O.W.Y.L' may be updated later, not sure.**

**-Charlotte x **


	3. More About You

**_When mistakes come back to haunt you, there's only one way out - or so it seems..._**

**_A Different Kind Of Destiny_**

_More about you_

Me and Joey's relationship had honestly rocket shot up in the last week; we'd managed to avoid Lucy and spend more time together which resulted in us knowing more about each other. Although, I couldn't help but feel he'd been hesitating, holding back about some things. He'd told me a little about his past, but I could tell it was a conversation he always tried to avoid.

Of course, it wasn't always going to be perfect, Lucy sneaking around all day. She'd take any chance to fault us if she could. I just couldn't see why she couldn't accept the fact that me and Joey were in love, no matter what people thought about us being cousins; I put it down to just jealousy. The thing is, she seemed to think that the world revolved around her, that nobody else mattered. What me or Joey saw in her in the first place was beyond me.

-xJ&Lx-

"Are you sure you're not coming, Joe?" Alice questioned, folding up a few of her clothes and piling them up in a bag; she was going to visit their Mum for the next week, but Joey had suggested that only she goes. "I mean, she will want to see you as well, y'know." she continued, closing the bag and zipping it up.

Joey shook his head, his arms possessively swung low around my waist. "Nah, Al. It'd be good for you two to get some time together anyway, I'll go another time," he murmured into my hair, his voice vibrating onto my skin. Alice nodded, before raising her eyebrows at me, as I gave her an innocent smile.

"Lo, make sure it's tidy when I get back, please," she told me, then smirking slightly at us both. "Well, I better get off then, eh? See you, Lauren!" she said cheerily, pulling me just out of Joey's grip into a gentle side hug.

I smiled at her enthusiastically. "Sure, I'll see you soon, Al," I replied, moving away so she could get to her brother.

"Bye, Joey. And don't worry, I'll ring you as soon as I get there," she giggled, kissing his cheek gently, me staying quiet as they said their goodbyes. A few minutes later, the door slammed shut behind her and I leaned up to print a kiss on his dry lips.

"House to ourselves then, eh?" I smirked, trailing my fingers up and down his chest, him nodding slowly as I bit down on my lip. His hands trailed their way up my back until they tangled in my hair and pulled at it slightly as he pressed a lingering kiss to my lips...

-xJ&Lx-

So, babe, I was thinking-" he started, tracing patterns on my stomach with the tip of his fingers, before I sneakily interrupted him.

"Sure that's a good idea?" I teased him, him smirking, rolling his hazel orbs in response and shaking his head. I smiled. He turned us over so I was directly facing him, us both lying on our sides.

"Yeah, very funny babe," he muttered quietly. "What I was going to say is, tomorrow maybe we visit that art gallery you keep babbling on about? Y'know, since I don't have to worry about Alice..." he trailed off, as I put a finger to his lips and nodded.

"You shouldn't have to worry about Alice too much, anyway. She's an adult Joey, she's not little anymore." I reassured him, tapping gently on his defined chest. "Oh, and I would love to go to that gallery, Joe. But it costs loads to go there." I sighed, snuggling my head against his shoulder.

Not even looking up I knew he had a smirk plastered onto his face. "I've been saving up, baby girl," he whispered slowly against my forehead, a smile covering my lips immediately; it wasn't because of the gallery or the money really, but the current tone of his voice was delicious. "Like I said, we can go tomorrow, it's not too far off is it?" he continued quietly.

"Sure, babe," I breathed into his skin, feeling him laughing slightly against me.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, before closing my dark orbs as he wrapped his arms around my waist once again. I felt him relax against me, clearly meaning he was already half asleep as I followed the same path as him, as we both became out cold to the world...

-xJ&Lx-

The next morning we woke, I turned over, expecting Joey's arms to be tight around me, instead finding the bed cold and empty. I sighed, throwing a t-shirt over my skinny frame, it coming just above my knees, going downstairs to find a note on the kitchen table. I smiled at what it read, rolling my eyes; typical bloke handwriting.

_ Hey, you _  
_Gone to the gym, left early because __knowing you, you'd probably have __distracted me. Be back soon, baby._  
_ Your Joey __ x_

Making myself some breakfast and a coffee, I sat at the table and sighed, glancing at the clock as I awaited his arrival.

-xJ&Lx-

Half an hour later, I was sat on the sofa, absorbed in the telly, as my face lit up when I heard the door open, Joey appearing in the doorway, walking towards me . "Alright, babe?" he asked quietly, him smirking as my eyes swept up and down his frame. He looked fucking sexy.

His muscles were straining through his shirt and his hair was slightly wet from the rain. Averting my eyes, I looked up at him. "Sure. Good day at the gym?" I questioned, my voice slightly hoarse. He nodded slowly, crushing his lips onto mine, me wrapping my arms around his neck when I felt him tense and wince slightly. I pulled back. "What's wrong?" I questioned again, resting my hands on his shoulders.

"Hurt my back last night lifting boxes," he murmured, looking away from me.

I rolled my eyes. "You went to the gym with a bad back? Stupid." I muttered, slapping his arm as he smirked at me before wincing again. "Guess we better sort that out then, eh?" I whispered, lifting his shirt over his head and turning him over so his back was facing me. I sat on the backs of his legs and put my feet either side of his waist. I gently began to massage his back, hearing him groan when I reached the parts that ached most. "That good, baby?"

I didn't even need him to answer as he groaned again, closing his eyes. "Yeah," he managed to croak out lazily. I smiled. A smile that soon faded as I spotted something on his waist. I leant forwards slightly, inspecting it further when I realized he had a large scar on his hip. I squinted. "S'up babe?" he asked, clearly a little annoyed that I'd stopped.

"What happened to your hip, babe?" I whispered, trying to rid the image of the worst sorts of scenarios in my mind, going back to working on his back, earning another groan from him before he lapsed into silence, making me even more confused.

"I, err, fell when I was little and err, landed on my hip," he quickly answered, shifting uncomfortably on the sofa as I realized he was enjoying it a little too much before I got back to the subject. I nodded slowly, not completely convinced with his answer. I knew there was more to it.

"Ouch," I replied, doing one last sweep of his back and getting up. "Anyway, I think we better get ready for the museum," I continued, moving towards the door, about to go back upstairs.

I heard him get up behind me, wrapping his arms round my waist and stuffing his face in my hair, as I felt him against the back of my leg. I giggled. "Cold shower for you then, eh?" I smirked, him rolling his eyes at me before jogging upstairs and into the bathroom.

I went into our/Joey's bedroom and looked through our piles of clothes. I wanted to look nice for Joey tonight, since he'd paid all the money to take me somewhere nice. I pulled out a short, black dress, it suiting my figure perfectly. I then added a few other things, applying my make-up to make it look, my eyes especially, smokey, knowing that Joey absolutely loved that sort of look. Pulling on my black, high-heeled ankle boots and straightening my hair so it fell directly past my shoulders, I was finally ready.

As I heard a knock at the door, I turned round and smiled at Joey's appearance. He was completely naked apart from a towel swept lowly around his waist. Although he looked incredibly sexy, my eyes couldn't help but dart back to that scar on his hip until I finally caught onto his smirk as his eyes raced around my figure. "No, you're not torturing me like that..." he whispered, my heart starting to thump as I detected a growl at the back of his throat.

"And, why is that, Joseph?" I asked him gently, strutting towards him and placing my hands on his wet, defined muscles. "All about self control, babe..." I murmured, a sudden urge of confidence bolting through me as I heard him releasing a long, deep breath before looking back up at me.

"I'll give you self control, _babe_..." he muttered, pulling off his towel and pulling up a pair of clean boxers, obviously aware I was ogling him like he was a God, and changing into some smart trousers and a white shirt, buttoning it up. He turned round to face me, as I raised my eyebrows at him and glanced towards the clock. "I'll be 5 minutes, babe," he told me, starting to run a hand through his hair and looking into his mirror. I laughed, a bucket of sarcasm being tipped over me.

"5 minutes? More like 5 hours, babe," I teased him, him turning round and faking being offended and gasping.

"Excuse me, Miss Branning, I'll have you know you take longer than _me_ to get ready," he muttered back, combing his hair to the side and I watched the concentration on his face as he perfected it; he looked adorable. Once he was finished, he took my hand in his and lead me downstairs to slip on his shoes. We then went through the door and headed for the tube...

-xJ&Lx-

Not a long wait after, we arrived at our destination as Joey lead us into the museum, guiding me round as I took in all the art work; it was beautiful. I studied a few of the paintings as we walked along, my arm linked through his. "I'd love to have an art gallery some day," I whispered to him, looking up to see him smiling gently down at me.

"You will, babe, I know it," Joey told me quietly, as we started to move towards the exit. I shrugged, moving uncomfortably; _still not used to compliments then_? "I mean it, babe. Your art is beautiful." he whispered, honesty and desire flashing in his eyes; how I managed not to melt at his feet right there and then I will never know.

I pressed a small kiss to his lips. "Thank you, babe. _You're_ beautiful, you know that?" I murmured, clearly catching him slightly off guard with my comment.

We'd spent a good couple hours in the art gallery, the cold, mist-filled air like a whack in the face as it hit me. Obviously sensing this, Joey took off his coat and wrapped it around my shoulders, me smiling at him in thanks. "You're not having this back, you know," I giggled, him rolling his eyes.

"You've stolen half of my shirts already, what difference does it make?" he muttered, snaking an arm round my waist, pulling my side into him, his body heat radiating onto me. I laughed at his reply, slapping his arm gently.

"What can I say? Your shirts look _way_ better on me," I teased him again, as he pulled me flush against him and our lips crushed together once again, us both responding before we pulled out for a gasp of air.

"You're right, they do," he growled quietly, his breath tickling my ear, shivers going up my spine at the sensation...

-xJ&Lx-

"Thanks for today, Joey," I whispered, us curled up on the sofa, him fiddling around with his phone, waiting for Alice to pick up the phone. I furrowed my eyebrows at the look of worry and devastation crossing over his face. "Babe, she said she'd call you. She probably got carried away and then fell asleep," I told him, pulling myself onto his lap.

He shrugged, before smiling small at me. "I guess..." he replied, before letting out a deep sigh. "I just have this feeling something's happened..."

I shook my head, taking hold of his shoulders and kissing his lips to reassure him. "Of course you're going to feel like that, you're her brother," I said quietly, lifting a hand to cup his face, running my thumbs over his cheeks. Just as I was about to lean forwards for another kiss, the doorbell rang. I sighed. "I'll get it, babe. You concentrate on Alice." I piped up, pressing a quick kiss to his lips and getting up, making my way to the door.

As I opened it, I was suddenly taken back at the type of person I saw.

Two dark, smouldering eyes, a broad, spooking figure and slicked black hair. My words got stuck in my throat as my grip on the door became tighter, the person glaring at me in disgust.

"Lauren," he spat venomously, leaving my heart pounding out of my chest...

-xJ&Lx-

**R&R.**

**Hey guys! Tell me what you think!**

**Sorry for not updating last night, too busy screaming at the telly fangirling over Bruno Mars, haha x**

**- Charlotte x**


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